--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You could feel things or you could find a…" description: "\"“You could feel things or you could find a way to shut down. But once you were feeling things, you couldn't decide exactly what to feel.”\" — Ann Brashares" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/ann-brashares-572_feeling_you-could-feel-things-or-you-could-find_1265678.jpg" --- # You could feel things or you could find a way to shut… ![“You could feel things or you could find a way to shut down. But once you were feeling things, you couldn't decide exactly what to feel.” quote by Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/ann-brashares-572_feeling_you-could-feel-things-or-you-could-find_1265678.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/ann-brashares-572_feeling_you-could-feel-things-or-you-could-find_1265678.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/ann-brashares-572_feeling_you-could-feel-things-or-you-could-find_1265678.jpg) > ““You could feel things or you could find a way to shut down. But once you were feeling things, you couldn't decide exactly what to feel.”” [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emotions can be overwhelming, and when they surface, they can be hard to identify or control. **In simple terms:** Feelings can be intense and confusing. Key Takeaway Learn to recognize and name emotions. Themes emotional awareness self‑regulation identity Mood reflective introspective Type advice personal growth When to use this quote - adolescence - relationships - mental health - stress management Key Concepts psychology mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How do you label complex feelings? - What helps you stay grounded when emotions surge? A Different Perspective Suppressing emotions may lead to unresolved issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [You could feel things or you could find a way to shut down. But once you were feeling things, you couldnt decide exactly what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/you-could-feel-things-or-you-could-find-a-way-to-shut-down-but-once/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“You expect to shut that feeling away? No, I ask that you feel it more. There's no other way to stand over your enemy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-burch/you-expect-to-shut-that-feeling-away-no-i-ask-that-you-feel-it-more/) [Adam Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-burch/) > [“I don't like remembering. Remembering makes me feel things. I don't like feeling things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-don-t-like-remembering-remembering-makes-me-feel-things-i-don-t-2/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [I had no feeling for the things so many others needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-had-no-feeling-for-the-things-so-many-others-needed/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Director and producers have to take all the risks they can. We developed this film with the possibility to create departing from a blank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-abreu/director-and-producers-have-to-take-all-the-risks-they-can-we/) [Alex Abreu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-abreu/) > [There's things that I couldn't joke about but other people could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carr/there-s-things-that-i-couldn-t-joke-about-but-other-people-could/) [Jimmy Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carr/) > [There was so much that you could do, instead of looking for things that you couldn't do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/there-was-so-much-that-you-could-do-instead-of-looking-for-things/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [Everybody has strange things that mean things to them. You couldn't help it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/everybody-has-strange-things-that-mean-things-to-them-you-couldn-t/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Things couldn't end if she didn't let them begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-sotto/things-couldn-t-end-if-she-didn-t-let-them-begin/) [Samantha Sotto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-sotto/) > [Maybe in the general scheme of things he couldn't find any meaning in life, but on a smaller scale it was okay. Not always,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/maybe-in-the-general-scheme-of-things-he-couldn-t-find-any-meaning-in/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) > [At an early age, I knew there were a lot of things I couldn't do. My father was a doctor, and my mother was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/at-an-early-age-i-knew-there-were-a-lot-of-things-i-couldn-t-do-my/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [I worked out early on to give up things I couldn't do well at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-worked-out-early-on-to-give-up-things-i-couldn-t-do-well-at-all/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I'm a metaphor for all of the things I couldn't say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-pope/i-m-a-metaphor-for-all-of-the-things-i-couldn-t-say/) [Ron Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-pope/) > [“but Claire was Southern enough to believe that there were things in this world that couldn’t be easily explained, things that couldn’t be seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-stevens/but-claire-was-southern-enough-to-believe-that-there-were-things-in/) [Amanda Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-stevens/) > [“wonderful things couldn’t last forever, or they would be dulled by repetition and cease being wonderful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wonderful-things-couldn-t-last-forever-or-they-would-be-dulled-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ann Brashares > [“Because the truth wouldn't be comforting and wouldn't bring them closer again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/because-the-truth-wouldn-t-be-comforting-and-wouldn-t-bring-them/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“It’s by living that you live more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/it-s-by-living-that-you-live-more/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“¿Iban a sumirla en la tristeza antes de hacerla feliz? No, por favor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/iban-a-sumirla-en-la-tristeza-antes-de-hacerla-feliz-no-por-favor/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“When she made her way to the big picture window that framed the dining room table she froze. She stopped breathing. The anger was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/when-she-made-her-way-to-the-big-picture-window-that-framed-the/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“Lena remembered herself in all the old familiar things they said. She existed in her friends; there she was. All the parts of herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/lena-remembered-herself-in-all-the-old-familiar-things-they-said-she/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [Everyone is fragile. Everything beautiful is fragile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/everyone-is-fragile-everything-beautiful-is-fragile/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“but it was hard to give the real world much notice when he was this close.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/but-it-was-hard-to-give-the-real-world-much-notice-when-he-was-this/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“You don't have time, Len. That is the most bitter and the most beautiful piece of advice I can offer. If you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/you-don-t-have-time-len-that-is-the-most-bitter-and-the-most/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“You couldn’t count on Providence for anything ever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/you-couldn-t-count-on-providence-for-anything-ever/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [Gestating characters feels something like the mental equivalent of gestating a baby. In both cases, to create them you lose yourself. Or at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/gestating-characters-feels-something-like-the-mental-equivalent-of/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“He could take happiness from her, but could he give any?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/he-could-take-happiness-from-her-but-could-he-give-any/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [The weather turned. Her skin seemed to grow a million extra pores, and all of them opened to take in the warmth and tenderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/the-weather-turned-her-skin-seemed-to-grow-a-million-extra-pores-and/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [She wanted him to notice her so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/she-wanted-him-to-notice-her-so-much/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“No matter how it felt to be near him, she had to keep her swollen heart in check.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/no-matter-how-it-felt-to-be-near-him-she-had-to-keep-her-swollen/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [Maybe happiness was just a matter of the little upticks- the traffic signal that said "Walk" the second you go there- and downticks- the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/maybe-happiness-was-just-a-matter-of-the-little-upticks-the-traffic/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) [Explore all 465 Ann Brashares quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) ## More Feeling quotes > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My feeling has always been that 'Good Eats' would have never happened had it been left to a committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/my-feeling-has-always-been-that-good-eats-would-have-never-happened/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [Tryna hide this pain with these pain killers, she said the storms only will last a little while but shit it got me feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myself/tryna-hide-this-pain-with-these-pain-killers-she-said-the-storms-only/) Myself > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Hate not knowing when things are going to happen feeling different every single day. It is called LIFE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-valdovinos/hate-not-knowing-when-things-are-going-to-happen-feeling-different/) Stephanie Valdovinos > [The best feeling comes when you realise, that you are perfectly happy without the things, once you thought you needed the most…!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-feeling-comes-when-you-realise-that-you-are-perfectly-happy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love transforming myself constantly because it gives me that 'new' feeling that I'm very much addicted to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-mondo/i-love-transforming-myself-constantly-because-it-gives-me-that-new/) [Brad Mondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-mondo/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [What I do miss that I don't get anymore? You're going to think I'm crazy, but you want the truth, so here it is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mandrell/what-i-do-miss-that-i-don-t-get-anymore-you-re-going-to-think-i-m/) [Barbara Mandrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mandrell/) > [I think kids growing up, if they were picked on and feeling inferior at 12, they're going to feel that way at 72. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/i-think-kids-growing-up-if-they-were-picked-on-and-feeling-inferior/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [I don't think Alfonso was a big expert on Potter either. He was feeling his way through it more than I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-thewlis/i-don-t-think-alfonso-was-a-big-expert-on-potter-either-he-was/) [David Thewlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-thewlis/) > [The most difficult part for me is feeling connected to the people that I love but always being on the go to different places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/the-most-difficult-part-for-me-is-feeling-connected-to-the-people/) [Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/) Browse all 8,809 Feeling quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You could feel things or you could find a way to shut down. 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